Personal Exoskeletal Augmenting Suit (PEAS)
the PEAS (commonly pronounced "Peace"), or more accurately the PEAS Mk. II, is an armored exoskeleton designed by the joint R&D department of the Wings firearms company and Tek enterprises for use by the HU armed forces. the exoskeleton can double or even triple lifting strength, increase reaction time, serve as a computer processing unit, sync with ADOMs for remote piloting or even serve as a back-up generator with it's onboard reactor providing the power necessary to run most smaller systems. the use of the PEAS has slowly picked up steam in the HU armed forces, hindered by the rumors of it's failed protoype, the Mk. I. Specifications the PEAS has huge behavioral and physical differences between the defunct MK I's and the newer MK II's, owing to researchers actually scrapping the prototype designs and completely redesigning the exoskeleton from the ground up, due to the prototype's tendency to shut down and it's abhorred power consumption. MK I the MK I was a clunky affair, constructed mainly out of plates of titanium layered with tungsten carbide and coated with analite. the plates moved on a servo drive system, and relied on a command system that attached to a surgical implant in the subject's neck. instead of a reactor, the MK I used supercapacitors for power, and had to be recharged constantly due to it's incredible power consumption. it's reliance on battery power meant that soldiers wearing the armor could not travel very far from a charging station, making the exoskeleton unsuitable for combat conditions in which the soldier in the suit did not have a readily available supply of electricity to charge the exoskeleton every half an hour or so. the MK I never made it out of the prototype stages, with the seven that were made being stored in one of the vaults in the HU CHaMO. the prototypes have been kept charged and maintained in case they are ever needed. MK II the MK II was slimmer and far less clumsy than it's predecessor, being that while the MK I used plates of metal animated by servos, the MK II used a slightly more complex system of terralite rods covered in light armored plating and a series of synthetic muscles that made the movement of the exoskeleton feel smooth and natural, opposed to the robotic and limited movement of the MK I. the MK II also uses a miniature reactor backpack that plugs into a receptacle located on the back of the exoskeleton, which has gone through several iterations and designs before settling on a hydrogen cell reactor, which produces a little more than the suit needs to function and can route the remaining power to any weapons or domestic systems attached to the rails located on the forearms. said reactors can go a full 46-50 hours before refuel, 30-35 hours if using additional systems. alternatively, the suit can be shut down and all power from the cell can be routed through the plugs to external systems, providing power in case of emergencies. MK II's users have rerouted this power to do everything from running appliances or small computer systems to jump-starting larger systems with independent power sources. the MK II is also constructed of completely non-magnetic analite armor and terralite structure, with synthetic muscles in place of servo motors. due to this, and to it's lack of computer control systems, as the synthetic muscles receive commands either directly from a small device implanted in the neck or by electrical signals relayed through the body, the MK II is immune to EMPs, and can survive most weapons of this sort, making it a viable choice as a contingency for ADOM pilots in the field, as well as ground troops and fighter pilots. MK III The MK III is yet another iteration upon the PEAS. During manufacture, it was found that unforeseen complications caused the construction of MK II units to be highly expensive and resource-intensive. While manufacture of the MK II continued for higher level assault troopers and the troop complements of Elite Cruisers, a new design was required for general use, as well as distribution to allies; thus, the MK III was designed. While the MK I was designed to have plates that form-fit to the user and the MK II was composed of a terralite rod framework, the MK III was composed of bars of titanium-tungsten alloy that fit themselves to the backs of the user's arms and legs, based upon a larger back piece that contained three separate plasma batteries, the computational framework necessary to run the unit, and a series of motor neuron readers that allowed the exoskeleton to match the user's movements exactly. Like the MK II, the MK III was moderately modular, and could be fitted with a variety of armor plating, which would be attached to the bars and seal around the user's limbs when the unit was activated. Unlike the MK II, however, the MK III was given a basic combat AI, as well as a 'return-to-base' protocol, which would have been impossible with the MK II given it's reliance on a boosted electrical charge generated by the user. This protocol would detect when the user was seriously wounded or rendered unconscious, signal the nearest HU-SIF ship and arrange extraction, all while avoiding whatever threat the user was dealing with at the time. This allowed for soldiers in the field to be pulled out incredibly easily, and greatly increased the HUAR's combat efficiency.